Calculating machine
h. j. chall



Oct. 5, 1965 H. J. CHALL CALCULATING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 OriginalFiled Sept. 18. 1961 Oct. 5, 1965 H. J. CHALL 3,210,000

CALCULATING MACHINE Original Filed Sept. 18. 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Oct.5, 1965 H. J. CHALL CALCULATING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Original FiledSept. 18. 1961 mmm MI I I-HI H N No United States Patent 2 Claims. (Cl.235-434 The present invention relates to automatic calculating machines,and more particularly to accumulators therefor.

Objects of the invention include the provision of an improvedaccumulator control in which latches for springdriven tens-transferlevers for one direction of digitation are blocked during digitation inthe opposite direction, and in which latches for spring-driventens-transfer levers are blocked during the resetting of those levers,and the provision of an improved high speed calculating machine.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will beapparent from the following description of the specific embodimentthereof, and from the claims, taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a right elevational, longitudinal section (lookirig toward theleft) of the calculator embodying my present invention;

FIG. 2 is a similar section taken from a position to the right of thatof FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are right elevational views of part of the mechanism shownin FIG. 2 for explaining its operation;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged right elevational section showing the accumulator,and showing its gear pendant in the engaged position, and

FIG. 6 is a left elevational section of the calculator of FIG. 1.

The calculator of the present invention is described more completely inthe parent application, Ser. No. 138,- 645, now Patent No. 3,145,923,issued August 25, 1964, of which this is a division, and in U.S. PatentNo. 3,108,- 745. The machine is of the ten-key, reciprocating actuatortype, and in its general features is constructed in accordance with U.S.Patent No. 2,832,530, and is similar to the well-known Friden addingmachine.

General operation In a known manner, number entry keys 10 (FIG. 1) aredepressed for differentially setting selector sectors 196 according toselected digit values. During an entry cycle, a front gear pendant 390is swung toward the sectors 196 for connecting them through the gears ofthe pendant to actuator sectors 340. At the same time the actuatorsectors are connected through the gears of a rear pendant 420, and drivegears 444 to the register gears 448 of an accumulator 446. Print wheels1610 are also geared to the actuator sectors. With the selector sectors196 and register gears 448 so connected to the actuator sectors, a drivebail rod 344, acting through spring-held, releasable sickles 345, drivesthe actuator sectors 340 counter-clockwise in FIG. 1. This action drivesthe selector sectors 196 to their zero positions Where they stop, sothat the digit that had been entered in each selector sector 196 istransferred to the corresponding actuator sector 340, print wheel 1610and register gear 448.

The print wheels are thereupon operated to print the number, thependants 390 and 420 are returned to their home positions, shown in FIG.1, and the bail 344 returns the actuator sectors to their homepositions.

Accumulator drive gears Each of the drive gears 444 is in constant meshwith a register gear 448 and is arranged to occupy its normal, upper, orhome position, shown in FIG. 1, and a lower, alternative position shownin FIG. 4 for engagement with the gears 424 and 426, respectively. Thedrive gears 444 turn free on a shaft 452 carried by a pair of brackets454 and 456 (FIGS. 2, 4 and 6) journalled on the shaft 449 of theregister gears 448, and are biased to their upper, normal position by aspring 455, as shown in FIG. 6. The forward end of the brackets 454 and456 carry interlocking notches 457 (FIG. 4), which are aligned with theshafts 449 and 452. In the upper position of gear 444 (FIG. 3), notch457 is aligned with the shaft 425 of the pendant gears 424, and in thelower position of the gear 444 (FIG. 4), the notch is aligned with theshaft 427 of the lowermost gears 426. These shafts enter the notches 457for holding the gears in positive alignment during their engagement. Theforward end of the drive gear brackets 454 and 456 also include anarcuate interlock portion 459 for obstructing the rearward motion ofshaft 425 whenever the drive gear brackets 454 and 456 are between theirextreme upper or lower positions. The upper and lower limits of themotion of the brackets 454 and 456 are determined by a pin 460 whichextends through a hole 461 in the brackets. This interlock actionbetween arms 454 and 456 and shafts 425 and 427 ensures proper alignmentof the gears when engaged and also ensures that the pendant 420 is clearof the gears 444 as they move between their lower and upper positions.

In the operation of addition, a number is transferred from the selectorto the actuator and simultaneously from the actuator to the accumulator446. In this operation the drive gears 444 remain in their upper ornormal position and the pendant 420 is moved rearward for engaging thegears 424 with the drive gears 444. The register gears 448 accordinglyrotate (counter-clockwise as seen in FIG. 1) for the positive entries.The substraction is performed similarly except that the drive gears 444are moved to their lower position (as shown in FIG. 4) and are engagedby the lowest pendant gears 426 for driving the register gears 448clockwise in FIG. 1. When a total or subtotal is read out of theaccumulator 446, the drive gears 444 are controlled by a credit balanceindicator 536 (FIG. 2). For a negative value in the accumulator, thedrive gears 444 remain in their upper, or normal, position forengagement with the pendant gears 424. For a positive value in theaccumulator, the drive gears 444 move to their lower position forengagement with the lowest pendant gears 426.

Accumulator The accumulator 446 is best shown in FIGS. 2 and 5 andincludes mechanism shown and described in the U.S. Patent No. 2,832,530already referred to. Thus, the accumulator (FIG. 5) includes, for eachnumerical order, a twenty-tooth register gear 448 which is provided witha spring-pressed detent 502 for centering it in each digital position.

Fixed to each gear 448 is a two-pointed cam 504 which initiates thetens-transfers. The tens-transfer mech anism operable for positiveentries (counter-clockwise in FIG. 5) includes a spring-urged lever, orgate, 508 carrying a spring-pressed live tip 510 arranged to be rockedby the cam 504 when the number in the gear changes from 9 to Whenrocked, the gate 508 releases a tip 512. of a three-armed, spring-urgedlever 516, which is carried on a spring-driven lever 520. When the tip512 is released, a spring 522 urges the lever 520 (clockwise as seen inFIG. The pawl 514 at the tip of lever 516 is arranged to drive againstthe teeth of the register gear 448 of the next higher order for drivingit an additional tooth-space in the positive direction(counter-clockwise in FIG. 5) for elfecting the tens-transfer. However,the transfer lever 520 is restrained by a bail rod 524 during the entryof the number from the actuator, and is permitted to operate only afterthe pendant gear has been disengaged from the drive gear 444 of theaccumulator. The bail rod 524 is carried by a pair of similar brackets526 (FIGS. 2 and 6) on a shaft 528, which also carries a lever 530. Thelever 530 (FIG. 6) is connected by a link 532 to a lever 484 which,through a shaft 486 and lever 488, is controlled by a tens-transfer cam492.

The tens-transfer cam 492 is shown in its home position in FIG. 6. Uponthe initiation of the machine cycle, the first action of the cam 492 isto rock the arm 488 down. This action swings the bail 524 (FIG. 5) toits lowest position for setting all the arms 520 and causing the tips512 to engage the gates 508 for latching the levers 516 in a setposition. By the time the pendant 420 (FIG. 1) has been engaged with thedrive gear 444 and the motion of the actuator begun, the tens-transfercam 492 (FIG. 6) has permitted the lever 488 to rise slightly and hasraised the bail rod 524 enough to permit the levers 520 to be unlatchedby operation of the gates 508 during the entry of the number from theactuator. Then at about midcycle, when the entry from the actuator hasbeen completed, the cam 492 raises bail 524 to its uppermost positionand permits the tens-transfer operation to be completed. At this timeany secondary tens-transfers induced by the primary tens-transfers willbe promplty completed, the whole tens-transfer operation being driven bythe springs 522.

The present accumulator includes zero blocks of a wellknown type (FIG. 5consisting of bails 542 journalled on shafts 544 for blocking the livetips 510 and 511. For example, when the register gear 448 andtens-transfer cam 504 rotate clockwise in FIG. 5 for the readout of apositive number, they will be stopped when the tenstransfer cam 504abuts tip 510, which is, in turn, blocked by the bail 542, then in aposition (clockwise or to the right of the position shown in FIG. 5) forblocking the tip 510.

Movable tens-transfer blocks Under certain conditions of operation, themaximum speed at which the machine may be operated is set by theoccurrence of erroneous operations. This limit is, in part, determinedby the relationship between the inertias of the parts and the forcesexerted by the springs, as, for example, the springs on the gate 508,the live tip 510, the lever 520, the lever 516, and the detent 502 (FIG.5). While the occurrence of such errors can be moved to a higher speedby increasing the tension of the springs 509 and others, heaviersprings'are undesirable because they impose additional loads on otherparts of the machine.

One tendency for errors occurs in the tens-transfer mechanism during theentry of values from the actuator. For example, if a cam 504 is in theposition shown in FIG. 5' during a negative entry, additional rotationof the cam (clockwise in FIG. 5) will rock the live tip 510 of thepositive tens-transfer mechanism. It is intended that this tip shouldsimply rock counter-clockwise for letting the cam 504 pass, but underhigh speed operation there is a tendency for this action to rock thegate 508 down and release the lever 516.

A tendency for erroneous transfers occurs also as a result of theoperation for resetting the tens-transfer levers at the beginning of themachine cycle. For example, in FIG. 5, when the bail rod 524 is swungdown against the levers 520 for restoring any such levers as have beentripped during the previous machine cycle, the tip 512 of lever 516strikes the gate 508. It is intended that tip 512 be rocked by gate 508and then slip into the set position shown in FIG. 5 without having gate508. But at high speed, the momentum of the lever 516 may oppose thisrocking so that the gate 508 is moved down against its spring and thendoes not recover quickly enough to block the tip 512 before the bail 524rises to release the levers 520.

In either of these situations the tip 512 is left disengaged from thegate 508 so that an erroneous tens-transfer is made from that orderduring that cycle. Accordingly, a bail 566 (FIG. 5) is provided, havinga crosspiece 567 that underlies the rear tip of the gates 508. A similarbail 568 has a crosspiece 569 overlying the similar gates of thenegative tens-transfer mechanism. These bails are journalled at 570 and571 and are biased to non-blocking position by a spring 574 (see alsoFIGS. 2 and 6). A pin 576 on a down-extending leg of the left-hand framemember 454 of the drive gear assembly (FIG. 6) engages a cam edge at theforward end of blocking bail 566 for lifting the crossbar 567 of thebail 566 into position for blocking the gates 508 of the positivetens-transfer mechanism whenever the drive gears 444 are in their lower,or negative-entry, position.

As may best be seen in FIG. 6, the bellcrank 526 of the positivetens-transfer mechanism has a cam surface 580 at its lower end arrangedto engage a pin 582 on the blocking bail 566. When the bellcrank 526 andthe bail rod 524 are moved to their extreme clockwise position in FIG. 6for resetting the levers 520 (FIG. 5) of the tenstransfer mechanism, camsurface 580 engages pin 582 and rocks the bail 566 for lifting thecrosspiece 567 and locking all of the gates 508. Similar mechanism setsthe bail 568 of the negative tens-transfer mechanism for blockingerroneous operation during the resetting of the tens-transfer levers.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms wtihout departingfrom the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The presentembodiment is, therefore, to be considered in all respects asillustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention beingindicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoingdescription, and all changes which come within the meaning and range ofequivalency of the claims are, therefore, intended to be embracedtherein.

What is claimed is:

1. In an accumulator for a calculating machine having a register wheelfor each numerical order, a springdriven transfer lever for each certainof said orders for driving the register wheel of its order for enteringtenstransfers therein, a latch for each of said tens-transfer levers forholding it against such register-wheel-driving motion, and a cam forreleasing each latch, said cam being driven by the order below the orderfor the tenstransfer lever, and restoring means for restoring all saidtens-transfer levers to latched position, the improvement comprisingblocking means for blocking all said latches in transfer-lever-holdingposition, and means moving said blocking means into position for soblocking said latches during the lever-restoring stroke of saidrestoring means. 2. In an accumulator for a calculating machine having aregister wheel for each numerical order,

(a) input means settable for digitation into said accumulator in thepositive and negative directions,

(b) a first tens-transfer means for digitation in the positivedirection, a second tens-transfer means for digitation in the negativedirection, each said tenstransfer means including:

(1) a spring-driven transfer lever for each of cer- (2) means settablewith said input means for moving said blocking means into position forso blocking the last said latches when said input means is set fordigitation in the other of said 5 directions.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,508,531 9/24Quentell 23s-134 10 2,774,536 12/56 Chall 235-134 LEO SMILOW, PrimaryExaminer.

1. IN AN ACCUMULATOR FOR A CALCULATING MACHINE HAVING A REGISTER WHEELFOR EACH NUMERICAL ORDER, A SPRINGDRIVEN TRANSVER LEVER FOR EACH CERTAINOF SAID ORDERS FOR DRIVING THE REGISTER WHEEL OF ITS ORDER FOR ENTERINGTENSTRANSFERS THEREIN, A LATCH FOR EACH OF SAID TENS-TRANSFER LEVERS FORHOLDING IT AGAINST SUCH REGISTER-WHEEL-DRIVING MOTION, AND A CAM FORRELEASING EACH LATCH, SAID CAM BEING DRIVEN BY THE ORDER BELOW THE ORDERFOR THE TENSTRANSFER LEVER, AND RESTORING MEANS FOR RESTORING ALL SAIDTENS-TRANSFER LEVERS TO LATCHED POSITION, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISINGBLOCKING MEANS FOR BLOCKING ALL SAID LATCHES IN TRANSFER-LEVER-HOLDINGPOSITION, AND MEANS MOVING SAID BLOCKING MEANS INTO POSITION FOR SOBLOCKING SAID LATCHES DURING THE LEVER-RESTORING STROKE OF SAIDRESTORING MEANS.